Enneagram Type 7: Entertaining Optimist

Epicure, Entertainer, Optimist, Adventurer or Rationalizer

Overview

Sevens want to be fascinating, fascinated, optimistic and enthusiastic. More importantly, Sevens want to be stimulated, creative, positive and excited. They see themselves as visionary, diverse and playful. Sevens would like others to see them as interesting, sophisticated and fun-loving. Their idealized image is that they are happy and joyful.

Outgoing and spontaneous, Sevens love anything that is new, novel or unusual. A charmed charmer, they are fascinated by people, places and ideas. Upbeat, positive and optimistic, they naturally cheer up and inspire others. Quick to laugh and make a joke, they easily entertain people. Sevens are also easily entertained. An idealist and visionary, they strive to create a paradise on earth by sharing their vision of love, equality and freedom. A ‘jack of all trades’, they often have diverse skills and interests. Sevens are innovative, multi-talented, creative and at home in the world of things and experiences.

Like the hummingbird that moves in a frenzied blur from flower to flower, they seek the sweet nectar of excitement, new experiences, people and travel. If life gets them down, they escape their anxiety and boredom through variety and activity. Uneasiness is kept at bay by keeping busy with interesting and diverse experiences. Seeking a positive future with unlimited possibilities, they believe that the sky is the limit. Sevens enjoy new ideas and live in the world of their imagination where they can manifest their dreams. Sevens have a talent for squeezing the boredom and monotony out of routine tasks and turning the mundane into the magical.

A creative spirit, they need to be free to follow their heart. Eternally young, they have the light-heartedness of a precocious child or court jester. For Sevens, love is about giving and getting their way – if they are loved, they will be indulged. Even if they are shy, they wish to be seen as a cool, hip, trendsetter. At times, they may act superior to others – even though they may secretly fear that they are inferior to them. As egalitarians, Sevens enjoy people from all walks of life. Rather than buck authority, they find the way around it. Using their quick wit, bright eyes and ready smile, they have a knack for avoiding and diffusing conflict.

Need

Sevens need self-confidence, options, patience and to be noticed by others. Also, they need to be positive and optimistic. Because they are always on the lookout for the BBD (bigger, better, deal), they need plans that are flexible and fluid. If they have open-ended plans, they can go with the flow. Flexibility gives them the option to change their mind at the last minute.

Avoid

Sevens avoid boredom, sadness and emotional pain. Sevens fear limitation, feeling trapped or appearing inferior. Feeling incomplete, confined, or missing out are among their deepest fears. They avoid painful emotions because they are afraid that they will become overwhelmed if they talk about them or feel them. Sevens also avoid negative people as they can bring them down. This can lead them to avoid the present by living in a future fantasy of plans.

Virtue

The Sevens' greatest strengths are their visionary abilities, to think or do things in new ways and to manifest joyful abundance. Sevens are loving, creative and generous. Like a colorful hot air balloon that takes people above life’s troubles, they are angels of mercy who deal out random acts of kindness to those in need. They can’t bear to see people sad or suffering, and they take it as their personal responsibility to ensure that others experience happiness, joy and fun in their lives. Because they are innovative, they can easily turn lemons into lemonade and a lemonade stand into a successful business.

Vice

The Sevens' vices are gluttony, overdoing and seeking stimulation until they collapse or become ill. In order for them to experience joy and fulfillment, it is critical that they follow through on their ideas by realizing them. If their dreams remain unmet, they can become jaded, selfish and/or greedy. As they become increasingly self-indulgent and lose their sense of commitment and follow through, they can become flaky, letting commitments slide which in turn lets people down. Sevens can also be dogmatic and overly critical of others. If they have clamped down on their excessive ways, they may judge those who are mirrors of their indulgent past.

Attention

Sevens' attention goes to a positive future, planning, their imagination and multiple options. Sevens can become paralyzed by options because they are afraid of missing out. They may feel like a child running down the aisles of a toy store who is fearful of choosing one toy and missing out on the rest.

Spiritual Path

The spiritual journey of the Seven is to search for right work and focused concentration. Spiritual growth will come to them when they approach life with disciplined sobriety instead of getting high on new ideas, options and plans. Like a stone skipping across a lake that sinks deeply when it comes to rest, they will do well to slow down, experience their inner depths, and focus on completion.

Mantra

Sevens will find freedom when they accept the limitations of the present moment — remembering that envisioning something is not the same as manifesting it. True freedom comes with commitment and hard work not from having options.

Wing

The Enneagram Type 7 with the 6 Wing, desires to be eye-catching. They see themselves as exciting, relaxed, creative, curious, bright, alive and witty.
The Enneagram Type 7 with the 8 Wing, desires to be a free spirit. They see themselves as free, passionate, loving, adventurous, strong and creative.

Famous 7s

Steve Allen, Tim Allen, Desi Arnaz, Antonio Banderas, Jack Benny, Chuck Berry, Sonny Bono, Elayne Boosler, Terry Bradshaw, Kenneth Branagh, Richard Branson, Michael Caine, Joseph Campbell, Jackie Chan, Chevy Chase, Cher, Maurice Chevalier, George Clooney, Joan Collins, Francis Ford Coppola, Katie Couric, David Crosby, Tony Curtis, Hugh Downs, Michael Eisner, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Sarah Ferguson, Errol Flynn, Peter Fonda, Malcolm Forbes, George Foreman, Bob Fosse, Matthew Fox, Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, John Gielgud, Cary Grant, Tom Hanks, Richard Harris, Goldie Hawn, Marilu Henner, Ron Howard, Lauren Hutton, Mick Jagger, Thomas Jefferson, Steve Jobs, Magic Johnson, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Michael Keaton, John F. Kennedy, Don King, Larry King, Timothy Leary, Shari Lewis, Loretta Lynn, John Madden, Ricky Martin, Meat Loaf, Dudley Moore, Eddie Murphy, Jack Nicholson, Leslie Nielsen, Peter O’Toole, Pavarotti, Regis Philbin, Brad Pitt, Vincent Price, Dennis Quaid, Anthony Quinn, Ram Dass, Lee Remick, Geraldo Rivera, Ginger Rogers, Linda Ronstadt, Charlie Rose, David Lee Roth, Rosalind Russell, Babe Ruth, Martin Scorsese, Martin Short, Sissy Spacek, Steven Spielberg, Robert Louis Stevenson, Barbra Streisand, Lily Tomlin, Lana Turner, Peter Ustinov, Dick Van Dyke, Vince Vaughn, Voltaire, Eli Wallach, Betty White, Robin Williams, Duke of Windsor, Jonathan Winters, James Woods, William Wordsworth.

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